Valuing a course means recognizing the teacher

There are some good and some very good courses. Behind these courses are teachers, very good teachers indeed. And therein lies the rub: teachers are rarely recognized by society or by their institution. And yet their courses are effective, perfectly constructed, contextualized, documented, dynamic and a pleasure to teach for a few hours or even a year.

After all, that's what a course is all about: making it easier for learners to learn. But as in any profession, effectiveness is often the consequence of genuine motivation and recognition by the institution. There's a link between the image teachers are given of the quality of their work and the dynamics of the teaching and learning they offer.

For example, how can you organize drama workshops with all their pedagogical implications when they're still perceived as a recreational club? How can you embark on a flipped classroom approach if you're not supported in the process? How can we integrate hours of audiovisual creation on smartphones to make teaching more fun when we have to complete the curriculum? Does this mean that any pedagogical approach or innovation has to be fought for?

Valuing teachers' work: a managerial rationale

Teachers often feel that their profession has been devalued, even though their commitment to their pupils remains very strong. This is one of the findings of the OECD's 2013 TALIS survey (International Learning and Satisfaction Survey). On an international scale, it shows that:

"on average, in the countries participating in the TALIS survey, more than two out of three teachers feel that their profession is not valued in society. This is an important finding insofar as this feeling can influence the number and quality of candidates wishing to enter the teaching profession, as well as the retention of teachers already in post".

This survey is far from concerned with the little ills of individual teachers, and highlights a real societal problem. Why is there such a lack of appreciation for workers who have demonstrated considerable intellectual aptitude (in France, recruitment is at master's/master's level) and both technical skills (vocational education teachers possess a high level of know-how) and communication skills (and yes, teaching is about knowing how to communicate!).

There is a correlation between job satisfaction, tenure, results and quality of service. This applies to any organization. A school is certainly a structure with its own specificities compared to a company, but there are identical variables.

The survey reveals that:

"the finding carries an important message for systems concerned with attracting good candidates to the teaching profession and maintaining motivation within their teaching corps."

So we have an engineering-level human reservoir that's not being used. Is this nonsense? Yes, because at the same time we're losing the enormous intellectual potential that would enable us to offer innovative or even efficient training in a professional environment, and to promote excellence in learning at international level.

What can be done about it?

The TALIS survey suggests, first and foremost, that teachers should be more involved in "decision-making within their schools". This requires a new emphasis on collaborative working between teachers, management, school life and parents. This would have the effect of strengthening the links between the different roles and professions, and taking into account the constraints and objectives of each in the choices to be made. Easier said than done? Yes, but that doesn't mean we should allow ourselves to remain in operating modes that are showing their limits. Rome wasn't built in a day. Let's give it some time and be kind to those who try.

We also need to offer new support to teachers who want to move towards new horizons. A good teacher must therefore be identified by the institution, be a reference for his or her colleagues, play an active role in academic meetings, and be invited to make proposals at national level.

It's not a question of putting all teachers in the spotlight, because some don't want to be, but of giving pride of place to this body whose investment is not limited to the walls of its school. How many blogs, websites and videos are produced, but drowned out by the flood of Internet resources? Curators select a few and put them up as "pearltrees", but are the teachers who worked on them ever invited or questioned for their expertise? Not very often!

....

And yet, I started out in the profession thanks to the little hands of teachers open to sharing. Corinne Zambotto was invaluable in helping me design my first courses in STG (Sciences et technologie de la gestion, now STMG).

Today, the Internet offers a plethora of courses, but how can we be sure that they comply with the requirements of the national reference framework and incorporate the right pedagogical approaches? The "Les bons profs " site is very diversified and the explanations are given by teachers who have mastered the subject. I don't know if I'll ever have the opportunity to meet them at an academic meeting, but I salute their performance and the quality of the courses offered.

Valuing teachers is an important issue in building tomorrow's brains.

Illustration: gpointstudi, Shutterstock

References

Talis survey - Professional recognition and satisfaction: what helps teachers? - OECD.org - OECD. Consultation date November 03, 2015. https://web-archive.oecd.org/fr/2014-09-18/315020-tif5fr.pdf

Corinne ZAMBOTTO - Professeur agrégée d'économie et gestion comptable http://corinne.zambotto.free.fr/CV_corinne_zambotto.pdf

Les Bons Profs - Online tutoring for high school and college. https://www.lesbonsprofs.com